Vandalized Civil War memorial statue will be replaced at Mountain View Cemetery

Insurance claim will cover most of $62,000 price tag

By Pierrette J. ShieldsLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
01/09/2014 12:39:47 PM MST

Updated:
01/09/2014 12:41:28 PM MST

A damaged statue from the Civil War veterans monument is seen without a head, Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, at Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont. 106 headstones were knocked damaged by vandals over the weekend.
(
Matthew Jonas
)

The granite statue of a Civil War soldier that was damaged beyond repair in an August vandalism spree at Mountain View Cemetery is expected to be replaced by Veterans Day -- with a price tag of about $62,000, according to cemetery board secretary Anton Dworak.

He said the cemetery's insurance will cover most of the replacement cost of the granite statue.

The Women's Relief Corps donated the statue of the soldier to the cemetery in 1907 to honor those who served in the Civil War. It went on to become the local centerpiece for annual Memorial Day remembrances. Dworak said on Thursday that the board had hoped to have the statue replaced by this Memorial Day, but the process of getting the insurance claim approved simply doesn't allow enough time for the replacement to be sculpted and placed. The board hopes to have he new statue by Veterans Day in November.

Longmont Police Department evidence technician Dawn Cavins places the head of the vandalized Civil War on a table in an evidence room Tuesday August 13, 2013.
(
LEWIS GEYER
)

The cemetery was vandalized four times last summer. In most instances headstones were pushed off of pedestals, which caused some to be scratched or to crack, but did not cause a great deal of damage. Employees spent hours righting the stones. However in August, the vandals struck with more force and tipped 106 headstones and pulled the statue off of a pedestal. The statue fell to the ground and broke into three pieces. Initially, the vandals stole the head, but it was found abandoned at the fire station just south of the cemetery after publicity about the event.

Following ongoing media attention on the crimes, seven suspects, ages 14 to 21, went to police and admitted to the vandalism sprees. One man, 19-year-old John Heston, is still wanted on a warrant in the case. Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur said investigators believe he fled to California and now lives there. Satur said while Heston cannot be extradited on the warrant for the vandalism, he does have other warrants that could bring him back to Colorado if he is arrested in California.

Dworak said on Thursday that initial estimates to replace the statue were low. In an attempt to replicate the soldier as closely as possible the board wanted it to be carved of the same speckled granite, which in not as common as other types and hiked the price. The overall quote also includes costs for transporting the finished statue to Longmont from the Vermont company that will recreate it.

He said the board received the settlement within the last week and has sent along a deposit to the company.

He said a fund has been established at the Longmont Community Foundation to accept donations to cover the $1,000 deductible and any additional money for beautification of the pedestal once the new soldier arrives.

"I think the board feels really good about the support and reaction from the community," Dworak said. "This was a bad thing, but we are just really happy with the way the community has responded with their expressed support."